Dear Mason Music Family,

We are thrilled to welcome several new adjunct faculty to the Dewberry School of Music for the spring 2026 semester, as highlighted in this newsletter. We are also pleased to announce our Spring 2026 Dewberry Faculty Artist Series (free Sunday concerts in Harris Theater) and Spring 2026 Dewberry School of Music Concert Series featuring our outstanding student ensembles and guest artists. 

With warmest wishes for a spring semester filled with music to inspire and uplift,

Dr. Linda A. Monson, Director
Reva and Sid Dewberry Family School of Music

A native of Dallas, Texas, Dr. Caroline Nielson is currently based in Washington, D.C., where she performs as an alto vocalist in the United States Army Chorus “Pershing’s Own.” In 2024, she completed the Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Vocal Performance and Pedagogy at the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, MA. Caroline also holds an MM in Voice Performance and Literature from the Eastman School of Music and a BM in Vocal Performance with a minor in German from Belmont University.

Dr. Nielson has sung numerous roles in operatic and musical theatre productions, having performed with Finger Lakes Opera, Syracuse Opera, Nashville Opera, Odyssey Opera, and Opera in the Ozarks. Her theatrical roles include Foreign Singer – Postcard from Morocco, Diana – La Calisto (New England Conservatory), Bradamante – Alcina (Rochester Baroque Vocal Consort), Orlofsky (cover) – Die Fledermaus (Finger Lakes Opera), Meg Boyd – Damn Yankees, Grace Farrell – Annie (Rochester Association of the Performing Arts), Maurya – Riders to the Sea, Dorothée – Cendrillon, Abbess – Suor Angelica (Eastman), Nancy – Albert Herring, Mercédès – Carmen (Opera in the Ozarks), Dido – Dido and Aeneas, Cherubino – Le nozze di Figaro, Mother Marie – Dialogues of the Carmelites (Belmont), and ensemble in Pirates of Penzance (Nashville Opera) and Carmen (Syracuse Opera).

An avid performer of choral music, Dr. Nielson regularly performs with ensembles such as The Thirteen, Cathedral Choral Society, Washington Bach Consort, Washington Concert Opera, and Washington Master Chorale. A dedicated pedagogue, Dr. Nielson maintains a private voice studio in the D.C. area and is thrilled to join the George Mason University Dewberry School of Music Voice Faculty.

Dr. Andrew Smith, bass-baritone, is a native Washingtonian. He graduated from George Mason University (GMU) in 2014 with a Bachelor of Music Degree in Vocal Performance, studying with Professor Samuel L. E. Bonds. During his time at George Mason University, he performed the roles of Balthazar in Gian Carlo Menotti’s Amahl and the Night Visitors, Bartolo in W. A. Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro, Sarastro in W. A. 
Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte, and Betto in Giacomo Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi. After completing his Bachelor’s at George Mason, he attended The Catholic University of America (CUA), where he earned his Master of Music Degree in 2018. While at CUA, he was heard as Blitch in Carlisle Floyd’s Susanna, Sparafucile in Verdi’s Rigoletto, Gianni Schicchi in Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi, and Raimondo in Donizetti’s Lucia di Lammermoor. In 2025, he received his Doctorate of Musical Arts Degree from the University of Michigan, studying with Mr. Daniel Washington. While at the University of Michigan, he was heard in the role of Don Giovanni in Mozart’s Don Giovanni, Thalasso in David Hanlon’s The Pigeon Keeper, Peter in Humperdinck’s Hänsel und Gretel.

His doctoral research explores community and culture in vocal music, specifically examining the influence of African American artists, sacred texts, and the significance of ensemble singing within the genre. Using performance as the primary research method, Dr. Smith has and will continue to analyze community and culture through recitals, productions, his own arrangements, original compositions, and recording projects designed to enrich both the performers' and the audience's sensorium.

Throughout the years, Dr. Smith has been heard as a bass soloist for Handel’s Messiah and Haydn’s Die Schöpfung in the Washington, DC area at various churches. He has also performed as the bass soloist in other oratorios and choral-orchestral works across the country, including Schubert’s Stabat Mater (2023) and Beethoven’s 9th Symphony (2024) with Colby College, Elijah in Mendelssohn’s Elijah with the Georgetown Chorale (2023) and Hillsdale College (2024) and the bass soloist for with The Washington Chorus’ presentation of This Love Between Us by Reena Esmail (2025).

Dr. Smith continues to share his musical talents through various compositions and arrangements for the community and his gospel group, The Genesis Music Ministry. Some of their original music is available on all digital streaming platforms. He also serves as an assistant conductor for the Men of Color Chorale in Washington, DC, and has founded ASMITHMUSIC LLC, an arts organization.  Dr. Smith founded ASMITHMUSIC LLC in 2020, during the pandemic, to make music accessible to the community while maintaining physical distance. At that time, ASMITHMUSIC focused on providing music tutoring and consulting services. Since then, it has expanded its mission to make music accessible to all, providing tutoring, consulting, performances, and artist management. The organization aims to strengthen the community’s connection to the arts and cultivate a lasting appreciation for all types of music through arts education, partnerships with other organizations, and the creation of innovative performances and productions. This goal is accomplished through the Sam Bonds Chorale, one of ASMITHMUSIC’s primary performing ensembles, led by Dr. Andrew Smith as the conductor and Artistic Director.

Nancy Anderson is a 20-year veteran of Broadway, Off-Broadway and regional stages. Best known for her Olivier Award-nominated portrayal of Lois/Bianca in the West End premiere of Michael Blakemore’s and Kathleen Marshall’s Broadway revival of Kiss Me Kate, Nancy made her Broadway debut as Mona in A Class Act, followed by the roles of Helen and Eileen in the Broadway revival of Wonderful Town. She understudied Glenn Close in the 2017 revival of Sunset Boulevard, and she recently concluded the national tour of the all-female, trans, non-binary Broadway revival of 1776 in which she had the honor of portraying Thomas Jefferson.

Nancy has been nominated four times for Washington D.C.’s Helen Hayes award, (Kiss Me Kate Tour, Side By Side By Sondheim, Pajama Game, Billy Elliot), She is a three-time Drama Desk Nominee (Jolson & Co in 2000, Fanny Hill in 2006 and The Pen in 2017), and was nominated for an Olivier Award in London. In addition to the “PBS: Great Performances” broadcasts of Kiss Me Kate and South Pacific (starring Reba McIntyre), Nancy’s other television and screen appearances include Madame Secretary, Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, The Other Two and The Gilded Age and a short film of the one-woman musical, The Pen by Julianne Wick. Anderson’s debut album, “Ten Cents A Dance” led to a concert career ranging from sharing the stage at Carnegie Hall with Michael Feinstein, to singing with the Atlanta Symphony as well as regular appearances at the legendary jazz club, Birdland. Nancy received the 2011 Noel Coward Cabaret Award as well as a Bistro Award for her cabaret debut at “Don’t Tell Mama” in 2004. Nancy was a soloist on opera composer Luna Pearl Woolf’s 2021 GRAMMY-nominated debut album, LUNA PEARL WOOLF: Fire and Flood. Nancy recently filmed and is in post-production for a short film of Julianne Wick Davis’ Drama Desk nominated one-woman musical about OCD, The Pen.

Professor Nancy Anderson is thrilled to serve on the Adjunct Applied Musical Theater Voice faculty at George Mason University. She also serves as an Adjunct Musical Theater Voice Professor at Shenandoah Conservatory, Winchester. Additionally, she is a member of the Dance Faculty of Mary Baldwin University. She attended the Tufts University/New England Conservatory 5-year double-degree program where she majored in Geological Sciences and Classical Vocal Performance. 

Dr. Chelsea Wright (she/her) is a music theorist, keyboardist, and teacher in the D.C. area. She holds a Ph.D. in Music Theory from the University of Oregon (2021), as well as an M.M. in Music Theory from the University of Colorado-Boulder (2015) and a B.A. in Liberal Arts with concentrations in Piano and Harpsichord Performance from Sarah Lawrence College (2011). 

Her research explores formal functions in 18th-century sonata forms, and she has presented her work at numerous regional, national, and specialist conferences. Her most recent project explores pedagogical frameworks for teaching music to visually impaired students.

Dr. Wright is also active as a performer and maintains a large piano studio for students of all ages. She is a member of the board of the Washington Music Teachers Association.

Dr. Calvin Evans Jr. is a composer and musicologist based in Northern Virginia. As a composer, he specializes in chamber music, jazz, and music for visual media, with credits spanning multiple films, television episodes, and escape room experiences across the United States. He earned the Doctor of Musical Arts in Music Composition from George Mason University (2025). Additionally he earned the Master of Fine Arts in Film Music Composition from the University of North Carolina School of the Arts and a Master of Arts in Teaching from Hampton University. He also received the BA in Music Education from Hampton University. 

As a scholar, his research focuses on the forgotten and undiscovered history of African American film composers and their lasting impact on the field of film music composition. His dissertation examined the film scoring career of Quincy Jones. His research has been presented at several academic conferences, including the Music and the Moving Image Conference at New York University and the North American Video Game Music Conference at Stetson University. In 2025, he won George Mason University’s “Three Minute Thesis” competition and represented the university at the regional competition hosted by Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas. He was also awarded the 2021 Presidential Scholarship at George Mason University, which supported his multi-year investigation into the overlooked history of Black film composers.

L to R: Amelia Morrow, Prof. Wible, Sophia Hart, Lisette Joo, Jeremy Fagan, Abigail Onstott 

Flutists Earn Honors at Flute Society of Washington Competitions

Sophia Hart (BS ‘26) and Lisette Joo (BM ‘26) have earned notable recognition in competitions sponsored by the Flute Society of Washington.  Sophia has been named one of three finalists in the Collegiate Soloist Competition, and Lisette has been selected as one of three winners in the Guest Artist Masterclass Competition.  Their achievements reflect a high level of dedication, musicianship, and artistry, and we congratulate them on this well-deserved recognition!  Sophia Hart and Lisette Joo currently study with Professor Thomas J. Wible.  

Held annually as part of the Mid-Atlantic Flute Convention, these prestigious competitions attract flutists enrolled in academic institutions across Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, North Carolina, West Virginia, Washington, DC, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania.  Candidates are chosen through a highly competitive preliminary audition process based on recorded submissions, with finalists and winners earning the honor of performing live at the convention each February.  

Allan Fogelson (BM Jazz Studies, 2022) and Nareg Boghosian (BM Jazz Studies, 2025) performed in New Orleans in January 2026 for the Jazz Education Network (JEN) convention. Nareg is Airman First Class at Scott AFB and Allan is Senior Airman at Lackland AFB.

From April 16-18, 2026, experience three unforgettable days of celebration, including rehearsal of the Mason Alumni Concert Band (Thursday, April 16), 55th Anniversary Concert featuring the Mason Wind Symphony and Symphonic Band (Friday, April 17), and Anniversary Luncheon (Saturday, April 18). This weekend will bring together generations of musicians to share the stage in a moving tribute to our past, present, and future. The 55th Anniversary Mason Alumni Concert Band will be conducted by the directors of bands who have shaped our program through the decades: Professors Anthony Maiello, Mark Camphouse, and our current Director of Bands William L. Lake Jr., DMA.  Whether you’re an alum returning to play, a longtime supporter, or a lover of great music, this is your moment to celebrate the tradition, excellence, and spirit of the Mason Bands.

55th Anniversary Weekend Schedule - George Mason University Fairfax Campus

• Thursday, April 16, 2026, 7 - 9 p.m. Mason Alumni Concert Band Rehearsal

Center for the Arts Concert Hall

• Friday, April 17, 2026, 7:30 - 9 p.m. Mason Bands 55th Anniversary Concert

Center for the Arts Concert Hall

• Saturday, April 18, 2026, 12 - 2 p.m. Mason Bands Anniversary Luncheon

Dewberry Hall in the Johnson Center

General admission tickets to the 55th Anniversary Concert on Friday, April 17, 2026, are now available through the Center for the Arts ticket office.

Questions? Contact William L. Lake Jr., Director of Concert Bands.